by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 16, 2010

Willy is a monkey - and he wants to play soccer, like all the big gorillas he sees playing the game. Unfortunately, Willy can't afford soccer boots, and he's never picked for anyone's team. (And when he plays, no one ever passes the ball to him...) But his luck changes when he spots a strange glowing monkey one night when he's walking home. "They played silently together, passing the ball back and forth..." And then suddenly, Willy's finds  that the stranger is granting his wish.

"He unlaced his boots, took them off, and without saying a word, handed them to Willy."

But there's an interesting subtext to this story. Willy is really based on the author of the book himself, according to Wikipedia. In fact, gorillas appear so often in Anthony Browne's books that he was once asked to present a program for children while sitting in a cage surrounded by gorillas! One of them even bit him... but in this story, he's just magically receiving a pair of soccer boots.

"Willy stared at them with wonder..."

And on the way home, the monkey avoids stepping on any cracks. In fact, he has a long series of superstitions - just like any athlete before a big game. The other soccer players aren't impressed when Willy arrives at the next practice session. But they change their minds when he starts playing with the magic soccer boots on his feet. And soon Willy sees the team's captain has added Willy's name to the lineup for Saturday's game.

It helps to remember just how popular soccer is in Britain. Colin McNaughton, another British children's book author, wrote a similar story about a bear named Bruno who also dreams of playing on an all-animal soccer team. Both animals practice hard in preparation for the big chance in a real soccer game. But Browne's monkey character is also very superstitious - so he's tremendously upset when he forgets to bring his magic boots to the big game!

The illustrations are simple, and the story is a little predictable - but it teaches the expected lesson about self esteem. Even without the magic books, Willy plays wonderfully. He scores a goal, though the game remains tied at 1-1, until its very final seconds - when Willy again reaches the goal. And on the way home he realizes that the magical monkey that he'd seen must've been... himself.

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